Bed-rail joint.



E. J. OLSEN.

BED RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION rum) DEC. 11, 1911.

1,031,660. Patented July 2. 1 912.

v g i a g 1 11 1 llfilruaw, O n I 1: 1m Attorneys:

QMMM rps r rain.

EIiNAB, J. OLSEN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO GEORGE GBOSCHEN, OF MINNEAIPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

BED-RAIL JOINT.

Application filed December 11, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EINAR J. OLSE a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin' and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bed-Rail Joints; and I do hereby declare'the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. i

' My invention has for its object to provide an improved bed rail joint and, to this end, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

.The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the improved joint applied to a bed post and side rail; Fig. 2 is an outside side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line :0 m of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line of w of Fig. 3, with some parts removed; F 1g. 5 s a'vertical sec tion taken on the line 91 e of Fig. 1; Fig. 6

is a view partly in transverse vertical section on the line as w of Fig. 1, w th some parts shown 1n full; Fig. 7 IS a side elevation of the parts shown-in Fig. (3; and Fig.

8 is a detail in section. on the line m m of Fig. .l. a The numerals 1 and 2 indicate, respectively, a portion of a bed post and a. portion of one of the side rails detachably connected by means of my improved bed rail joint.

The improved bed rail joint comprises an inner coupling head 3, detachably secured to the be" post 1, and an outer coupling head 4, secured to the side rail 2 by means of rivets .or otherwise. The inner coupling head 3 is made hollow and comprises pairs of oppositely projecting upper and lower bearing shoulders 5 and 6, respectively, and a wedge-like flange 7. The upper and lower bearing shoulders 5 and 6 on opposite sides of the coupling head 3, are vertically alined, as best shownin Fig. 7. And the wedge .like flange 7 is formed by contracting the coupling head 3 forward of the bearing shoulders 5 and 6 and is located intermediately tlicrclmtwecn, as best shown in Figs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1912. Serial No. 664,990.

1 and 4. This wedge-like flange 7 istapered from its bottom toward the upper bearing shoulders 5, the purpose of which will present-1y appear.

The coupling head 3 is vertically divided intermediately between the upper and lower bearing lugs 5 and 6 and centrally through the Wedge-like flange 7. A pair of clamping pron'gs 8 are integrally formed, one on each member of the divided coupling head .3 and extend rearwardly from the bearing shoulders 5 and 6. These clamping prongs 8 embrace the bed post 1 and are curved to approximately fit the outer diameter thereof, as bestshown in Figs. 1 and 4. It will be noted that these prongs 8 are so arranged as to hold the two members of the clamping head 3 slight-1y spaced apart at their inner surfaces and adjacent to the bed post 1. And it will also be noted that the free vertical edges of the prongs 8 are spaced apart. This spacing of the members of the clamping head 3 and the prongs 8, is necessary in order to permit the. clamping prongs 8 to be clamped onto the-bed post 1, by means that will presently be described.

On the inner faces of the clamping prongs 8 are formed, a pair of oppositely and in wardly projecting, tapered lugs 9. These lugs 9 are adapted'to be inserted through diametrically opposite seats .10 drilled on opposite sides of the bed post 1. It will be noted that these seats 1.0 are of slightly larger diameter than the lugs 9. As is evident, these tapered lugs 9 and cooperating seats 10 tend to hold the clamping head 3 properly vertically spaced in respect to the bed post 1. By reference to Figs. 3 and '4, it will be noted that the lugs 9 are so arranged witha-espect to the seats 10, that when the prongs 5 are clamped onto the bed post- 1, the lugs i) are drawn into engage=- ment with the inner faces of the seats 10, thereby preventing any tendency of the coupling head 3 to rotate, withv respect to the bed post 1.

The two members of the clamping head 3 'are held interlocked against vertical movement, with respect to each other, by means of a lug 1 sand :1 cooperating seat 12 formed For holding the two members of theclamp ing head 3 together andzfor clampin the prongs 8 onto the bed postal, a nut equipped draw-bolt 13 is passcd th-rough seats in said on the inner vertical faces of the flangev 7 a members of the clamping head 3.

Integrally formed on the inner member of the clamping head 3, is an inwardly and horizontally projecting lug l lto which is secured, by screw bolts or otherwise, a tie bar 15 which connects opposite bed posts.

The coupling head 4: is bifurcated and the prongs 16 thereof have their ends bent laterally inward to form, vertically extended, bearing lugs 17 for cotiperation with the bearing shoulders 5 and .6. The inner faces of the prongs 16, adjacent-to their crotch, are reversely curved both vertically and horizontally to form raised bearing surfaces 18 adapted to engage opposite surfaces of the wedge-like flange 7, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 8. As is evident, the wedge acting flange 7 acting on the bearing surfaces 18 tends to drawthe bearing'lugs .17 onto the bearing shoulders 5 and 6.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that each prong 16 and its bearing lug 17 has a three-point contact with each member of the'coupling head 3, as best shown in Figs. 1, 7, and 8, and further, by this arrangement, the two members of the coupling head are held interlocked, one with the other, and their clamping prongs S are held securely clamped onto the bed post 1. It is evident that in case the bolt 1.3 becomes loose or entirely removed from the coupling head 3, the interlocking en agement of the coupling heads and a,

together with the cooperating lugs 9, will securely hold the prongs 8 clamped onto the bed post 1. This three-point interlocking engagement of the coupling heads 3 and 4t securely holds the coupling heads inter- ,slocked against lateral or vertical movements,

wlth respect to each other,

and, by this interlocking arrangement of the coupling heads, the castingscomprising the coupling heads 3 and 4 need not be very smooth, as any unevenness therein would not affect the interlocking engagement thereon.

The above described device, while tremely simple and of comparatively small. cost, has, in actual practice, highly efficient for the purpose had in view.

What I claim is:

1. The combinathim with a bed post and a a bed rail, of a divided coupling head having clamping prongs, said prongsarranged to -a second coupling been found embrace the bed post and having interlocking engagement therewith, and a second coupling head ap bracing said divlded coupling erative thereon to hold the prongs thereof interlocked with the bed post.

2. The combination with a bed post and a bed rail, of a divided coupling head having clamping prongs arranged to embrace the bed post, lugs on said prongs and in sertible in seats in said bed post, and a second coupling head applied to the bedrail, embracing said divided coupling head and operative thereon to hold the prongs thereof interlocked with the bed post.

3. The combination with a bed post and a bed rail, of a divided coupling head having clamping prongs arranged to embrace the bed post, the members of said divided coupling head having interlocking engagement with each other, lugs on said prongs and insertible in seats in said bed post, and head applied to the bed rail, embracing said divided coupling head and operative thereon to hold the prongs thereof interlocked with the bed post.

4. The combination with a bed post and a bed rail, of a divided coupling head having clamping prongs arranged to embrace the bed post, the members of said divided coupling head having interlocking engagement with each other, lugs on said prongs and insertible in seats in said bed post, a draw bolt operative on the divided coupling head for clamping their prongs onto the bed post, and a second coupling head applied to the bed rail and having interlocking engagement with said divided coupling head.

5. The combination with a bed post and a bed rail, of a divided coupling head hav ing clamping prongs embrlicing the bed post, and a second coupling l'iead applied to the bed rail and having three-point contact with each member of said divided coupling head, for clamping the prongs thereof onto the bed post. I

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses EINAR J. OLSEN.

Witnesses:

EDITH SIMERMAN, HARRY D. KILGORE.

plied to the bed rail, em-

head and op-I members of said 

